Campaigns
A decision on the possible replacement of the Trident submarine nuclear weapons system has been made. But this replacement will take many years. There is still time for us to step up our campaigning to make it clear that we don't want any kind of replacement for Trident - no strategic nukes, no tactical nukes - in fact, NO nukes at all! Make this clear to your MPs now!
Trident is Britain's nuclear weapon system. It consists of four nuclear-armed submarines, one of which is on operational patrol at all times. Each Trident submarine carries 48 nuclear warheads, each of which can be sent to a different target. Each warhead has an explosive power of up to 100 kilotons, the equivalent of 100,000 tons of conventional high explosive and 8 times the power of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people.
CCND believes that Trident is illegal, immoral and a waste of resources. It does nothing to increase world security and undermines international efforts to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Trident and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
CCND believes that to fulfil its international legal obligations, the Government should comply with its unequivocal commitment under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty by immediately decommissioning Trident and ruling out plans for future nuclear weapon systems.
There's a CCND leaflet available to download here (PDF file).
CND, Medact and ICAN have initiated a petition which can be signed online. See http://www.ipetitions.com/missing-petition.html
What you can do
Write a letter to the Prime Minister.
Join a local campaign against Trident. Contact CND for details.
Organise a public meeting on Trident. Contact the organisations below for information, suggestions on speakers.
Invite Bruce Kent to speak at your meeting. Contact CND on 020 7700 2393.
See the following websites for information:
Acronym: http://www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd76/76news04.htm
BASIC: http://www.basicint.org/nuclear/beyondtrident/
CND: http://www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/ntdtrep.html
Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk
Medact: http://www.medact.org/article_wmd.php?articleID=387
Methodist Churchhttp://www.methodist.org.uk
Quaker Peace & Social Witness Peace and Disarmament newsletter: http://www.quaker.org.uk/
or email
Trident Ploughshares:http://www.tridentploughshares.org/index.php3
Yorkshire CND: http://www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/news/articles/no_trident_replacement.htm
Briefings
Campaign pack available
Do you want to know more about the UK's nuclear weapons and help to make sure that they are not replaced? This pack, available free or for a donation, includes a briefing about nuclear weapons in the UK, an action ideas sheet, a list of key arguments, as well as postcards and petitions to use in the community. For your pack, write to:
Peace & Disarmament Programme Quaker Peace & Social Witness Friends House, 173 Euston Road London NW1 2BJ
Email disarm@quaker.org.uk or call 020 7663 1067.
Peacerights Report on the legality of the Trident nuclear missile system: www.peacerights.org
CTBI Briefing on the future of Trident "Trident: UK nuclear weapons at a crossroads" download here
Discuss Trident
Come Clean has launched a forum on its website to help share information, generate discussion and create informed debate about WMD. The forum can be accessed online at: http://forum.comeclean.org.uk/
Of current relevance is the section on 'Beyond Trident', a collaborative project (organised by Come Clean, the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, Oxford Research Group and BASIC) to raise awareness and foster public and parliamentary debate on whether or not Britain should retain nuclear weapons and replace the Trident nuclear weapons system.
You can discuss the Future of Britain's Nuclear Weapons and find out why a debate on nuclear policy is vital online at: http://forum.comeclean.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=2 .
Further information about Beyond Trident is available from the Come Clean Website at: http://comeclean.org.uk/bt_information.php.
Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament supports Make Poverty History